Category: IGN

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Palworld’s Daily Active Players Briefly Surpassed Fortnite on Xbox in the US

Palworld may have just come out recently, but its popularity is growing daily as the open-world survival game’s US daily players briefly surpassed Fortnite on Xbox.

Spotted by NPD’s Mat Piscatella, according to the Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, on Monday, January 22, US Xbox players playing Palworld surpassed Fortnite on the same platform. Piscatella also notes that US-based Palworld players played the game for “more than 200 minutes on average,” reiterating that this record only happened for one day, “and it was close.”

It’s no surprise, considering Palworld has already sold 7 million copies five days after it was released in Early Access. Fortnite is not the only game it surpassed in terms of player count. Yesterday, it was reported via SteamDB that Palworld posted 1,864,421 concurrent players on Steam, overtaking Counter-Strike to become the second-most-played game ever on Valve’s digital storefront.

If you’re unfamiliar with Palworld, the premise has players in an open world that is populated with creatures known as “Pals. Players can battle and capture Pals that can be used in various ways, including combat.

“Palworld may crib quite a bit from Pokémon’s homework, but deep survival mechanics and a hilarious attitude make it hard to put down – even in Early Access,” we wrote in our early access review in the Steam version of Palworld.

It has been comedically described as being “Pokemon with guns,” with the game being the subject of controversy from the developer Pocketpair disclosing that it had received death threats over its game being a “rip-off” of Nintendo’s popular franchise Pokemon to Nintendo removing a mod that added Pokemon characters such as Ash Ketchum into Palworld.

Additionally, there have been criticisms for the Xbox and Microsoft Store versions of Palworld, which differ from the Steam version and lack dedicated servers.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Zelda and Splatoon Concerts Will Be Streaming on YouTube in February

Here’s an early Valentine’s Day present for you: The Legend of Zelda and Splatoon concerts will be streaming on YouTube next month.

Nintendo of America made the announcement on Twitter/X on Wednesday, both on its own page and that of Splatoon’s North American branch. The Zelda Orchestra Concert will start streaming on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel on February 9, while the Splatoon 3 Deep Cut concert will be uploaded on February 10.

Both concerts will be pre-recorded instead of live-streamed, so no one will be jealous of anyone who went to the concerts in person — if there will be a live audience at all. Here’s what Nintendo tweeted for each concert.

The Zelda and Splatoon concerts were originally going to be part of Nintendo Live 2024 in Tokyo this month alongside Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 esports tournaments. However, Nintendo was forced to cancel the event after it received persistent threats against its staff, attendees, and spectators because it couldn’t ensure their safety if the event went on.

Nintendo also postponed the Splatoon Koshien 2023 National Finals and Splatoon 3 World Championship 2024 to indeterminable dates along with the Mario Kart 8 esports competitions.

The Zelda orchestra concert was previously held at the Nintendo Live 2023 event in Seattle, Washington back in September along with the Super Mario Super Big Band concert.

The Zelda and Splatoon concerts are in good company with other symphony performances being officially taped for YouTube. For example, the Sonic Symphony Orchestra was live-streamed from Prague, Germany was recorded during Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary in 2021. It gained critical acclaim from fans for playing both classic and modern Sonic music in two parts, especially with Crush 40 performing in the latter part. Today, the Sonic Symphony is on a world tour.

If only those video game concerts would get the same theatrical treatment as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s concert tours.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.

Alone in the Dark: Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

Alone in the Dark, the highly-anticipated reimagining of the classic ’90s horror game, is officially up for preorder with a release date of March 20. You can choose between a Standard Edition of the game, which will set you back $59.99, or a Collector’s Edition, which comes to $199 but is strictly limited to 5,000 units, so is selling out fast. Below, you can find additional details on each of these editions along with information on the game itself.

Preorder Alone in the Dark (Standard Edition) – Releases March 20

Preorder Alone in the Dark (Collector’s Edition) – Releases March 20

There are only 5,000 Collector’s Editions available for Alone in the Dark, and they’ve been disappearing fast. We’ve managed to find a few still available, so if you’re interested make sure to grab it fast! It’ll set you back $199.99. Alongside the game, it comes with a wide variety of items as well:

  • “The Dark Man” Statue
  • “Ostadte” Miniature
  • “Derceto 1930” Wallstickers Set
  • “Do not disturb” Doorhang
  • “Glow Alone in the Dark” Steelbook
  • Collector’s Edition DLC Package including: Derceto 1992 Costume Pack, Director’s Commentary Mode and Vintage Horror Filter Pack

Alone in the Dark Official Trailer

What is Alone in the Dark?

Alone in the Dark is a horror game and reimagining of the 1992 game of the same name. It follows Emily Hartwood (played by Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer) and a private investigator named Edward Carnby (played by Stranger Things’s David Harbour) as they investigate the creepy Derceto Manor, where Emily believes her uncle has disappeared. Per THQ’s website, you can also “Play as Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood to explore your environments, fight monsters, solve puzzles and uncover the true secret of Derceto Manor….” The director of this game, Mikael Hedberg, is one horror fans will know and love, too, as the writer behind SOMA and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

In our Alone in the Dark preview, we explained that the game isn’t “an attempt to recreate or reboot the first game. Instead, it’s something different. It’s a new and fascinating story,” drawing on elements of “cosmic horror, detective fiction, psychological horror, and the good old Southern Gothic.” We also explained that Alone in the Dark is “a treasure trove of good game writing. The direction of veteran game horror writer Mikael Hedberg is keenly felt here.”

More Preorder Guides

If you’re curious to see even more games that are available to preorder right now, we’ve got a wide selection of preorder guides to look through below, from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to Persona 3 Reload.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Microsoft’s New Xbox Indie Selects Promo Rekindles Memories of Xbox Live Arcade

Microsoft has announced the launch of Xbox Indie Selects, a program designed to promote indie games.

Rekindling memories of the Xbox 360’s famous Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Indie Selects features a monthly, curated collection of six indie games in the Xbox Store, dashboard, and on Xbox social channels.

Here’s how it works: every last week of the month, six games will be chosen by the ID@Xbox team and designated that month’s ID@Xbox Indie Selects. The collection will be located in the Xbox Indies section of the Xbox Store and dash, alongside Microsoft’s additional indie collections, which will be updated weekly on Wednesdays.

The selected games don’t strictly have to be games from the ID@Xbox program, Microsoft said. It’ll also feature games “that look and feel ‘indie’.” Microsoft added that it will not include indie games already in Game Pass, “even if they’re fantastic”, because Game Pass games are already featured in the Game Pass hub.

Microsoft said it launched the program because it wants more people to discover, buy, and play indie games. “We know there are a lot of games out there right now, and it can be difficult for unique titles to find an audience in crowded marketplaces,” Glenn Gregory, ID@Xbox Marketing Manager, said in a post on Xbox Wire. “With a dedicated, permanent, curated collection in the Xbox Store, we’ll be able to bring more attention to games that we feel are particularly special – everything from current favorites, to older gems, to games from new creators from around the world.”

Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) was a prominent part of the Xbox 360’s download offering, and focused on smaller and cheaper games. XBLA featured some of the best games of the generation, including Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, Trials HD, Fez, Bastion, and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Cyberpunk 2077 Player Discovers a Very on Brand Secret Message Hidden Within the Game

A Cyberpunk 2077 player has discovered an Easter egg more than three years after the game launched, denoting a very on-brand theme of the game hidden within a secret message written in Latin.

Reddit user CommercialLeg2439 spotted the secret message in Pacifica, specifically on the Grand Imperial Mall. As the sun sets in Night City, the lights of the mall flicker, and only a select few in its name actually light up.

Instead of Grand Imperial Mall, the sign instead reads “gra d imperi l mali”. Fans have debated a little how this translates exactly, but “gra imperi mali” means “thanks to the evil government”. Another possible solution keeps the first “d” in, translating to “degree of evil government”. One user even suggested the random “l” towards the end could be the roman numeral of 50, meaning something like the “degree of 50 evil governments” or “thanks to the 50 evil governments”, a reference to the 50 states of America.

Regardless, the hidden message feeds very well into Cyberpunk 2077’s core themes, that of a corrupt world in which regular people systematically fall victim to the laws and corporations which tower over them.

“This is one insane catch,” AHappyRaider commented on the post. “I swear, all the clever and hidden s**t in this game that I don’t initially catch is making me feel stupid,” Adjunct_Junk added. “Let alone all that borderline David Lynchian FF:06:B5 stuff.”

This references Cyberpunk 2077’s biggest ongoing mystery, which will no doubt have fans obsessing over again thanks to this Latin message being spotted. The mystery, known simply as FF:06:B5, began when players discovered the code on a statue worshipped by monks in Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. A series of other numbers hidden throughout the city attracted even more attention, and a Reddit page dedicated to FF:06:B5 now has more than 24,000 members.

It even seeped beyond Cyberpunk 2077 and into CD Projekt Red’s other franchise with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The release of Cyberpunk 2077’s game-changing Update 2.0 included even more clues, but fans have yet to solve the bizarre riddle.

To see all the other wild and wacky Easter eggs present in Cyberpunk 2077, check out IGN’s guide dedicated to the topic.

Image Credit: CommercialLeg2439 on Reddit

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Fortnite Now Has Metal Gear Solid 2 Raiden as Well as Snake

Like Solid Snake stealthily escaping Shadow Moses, Epic snuck out Metal Gear’s famous sidekick Raiden as part of the V28.10 update.

The Raiden currently available to buy in Fortnite is the version of the character from Metal Gear Solid 2, not, as some had wondered (hoped?), from the more recent and eternally memed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

You can catch Fortnite’s Raiden working with Snake in the video below:

And while you can choose to play as Raiden with his helmet on or off, Fortnite does not include a naked Raiden skin, unfortunately. Still, that hasn’t dampened some of the… enthusiastic reaction to Raiden’s Fortnite incarnation, with fans pointing out he looks ever so slightly different in the waist and, ahem, bulge department. Perhaps Raiden shouldn’t complain, given Epic stripped Solid Snake of his epic ass.

Perhaps Raiden skins from Metal Gear Solid 4 and Rising: Revengeance will come at a later date. Until then, Fortnite players can rekindle memories of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, now Raiden is in the mix.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Official Dungeons & Dragons VR Game in the Works

An official Dungeons & Dragons VR game is now in the works, courtesy of Demeo developer Resolution Games.

Resolution Games, best known for digital fantasy tabletop adventure Demeo, is working with Wizards of the Coast on the first virtual reality game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.

“As anyone who’s played Demeo can guess, we’re incredibly huge fans of tabletop roleplaying games,” said Tommy Palm, founder and CEO of Resolution Games.

“They have an unparalleled power to bring people together to create shared experiences, and that’s something we’ve tried to capture, too, with nearly every release in our library. Dungeons & Dragons offers one of the richest fantasy worlds that has ever been created, and it only gets bigger with every new sourcebook and adventure. We’re beyond humbled to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible IP and look forward to sharing the first details of this new project in the future.”

Resolution Games looks like a good pick for this project, given Demeo was inspired by Dungeons & Dragons (Demeo and the second game in the franchise, Demeo Battles, are playable on PC and in VR, with Demeo also available on the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2).

“Resolution Games has a clear understanding of how to bring players together and capture the fun of tabletop gaming on digital platforms in an accessible way,” added Eugene Evans, SVP of digital strategy and licensing at Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro.

“They are an ideal partner to bring a new Dungeons & Dragons video game to life in VR and beyond. Dungeons & Dragons and our other world class gaming brands continue to attract amazing partners as we execute our strategy to grow our digital games portfolio through licensing and internal development.”

No screenshots or videos of the new Dungeons & Dragons game were released, nor was a release window or target platforms. Resolution Games said more details will be shared at a later date.

Interest in all things Dungeons & Dragons is particularly high at the moment following the release of the well-received movie, Honour Among Thieves, and the phenomenally successful Baldur’s Gate 3. And last month, Starbreeze, the developer of the Payday series of games, announced an officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons game due out at some point in 2026.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Witcher: Corvo Bianco Comic Is a Direct Sequel to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its Blood and WIne expansion.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a direct sequel in the form of a Dark Horse comic book called The Witcher: Corvo Bianco.

Revealed on Dark Horse’s website, the Corvo Bianco name will be familiar to those who played the Blood and Wine expansion, which took players to Toussaint and rewarded protagonist Geralt of Rivia with his own vineyard.

That vineyard was called Corvo Bianco, and while Geralt retired there with his beloved Yennefer (or Triss), the comic will see that lush life uprooted as he must return to the rugged life of a witcher once more.

“For a witcher, the simple life can be hard to come by, and even harder to pass up,” the official synopsis said. “When Geralt acquires a taste for a slower pace — good wine and good company — the routines of a witcher are easily eclipsed. With Yennefer at his side, one might hope that Geralt will truly get to enjoy a taste of the good life. But the stains of history are deep, and with blood and wine, every drop attracts those who want more.”

The first issue of the five part comic will arrive on May 8, 2024, three months after the current comic run, The Witcher: Wild Animals will end. It’s written by Bartosz Sztybor with art from Corrado Mastantuono. Corvo Bianco will be the ninth comic released by Dark Horse that tells a fresh story within CD Projekt Red’s canonical Witcher universe.

Another game is coming too, though what’s essentially The Witcher 4 but codenamed Polaris will not follow Geralt and instead tell a new story.

Image Credit: Dark Horse

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Super Metroid Original Soundtrack Recreated on Vinyl is Up for Preorder (and On Sale)

For vinyl collectors and Super Metroid fans, this is a preorder that’s well worth checking out. From Jammin’ Sam Miller, this is a Full HD recreation of Super Metroid’s original soundtrack on vinyl. This double LP is currently available to preorder for $39.99 (down from the MSRP of $45.99) and also features some incredible artwork on the cover that’s worth showing off in your vinyl collection.

It’s set to release on February 16 this year, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on it, either. Head to the link below to preorder your copy today.

Super Metroid Original Soundtrack Recreated on Vinyl is Up for Preorder

On the topic of vinyls that are up for preorder at the moment, you can also preorder the Cyberpunk 2077 Radio Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 vinyls for $29.98 each. These records are bright yellow and both feature a wide variety of artists on them — playing the latest and greatest hits from Night City’s top radio stations, of course — and are set to release on April 26 this year. If you recently got back into Cyberpunk following its 2.0 update and the Phantom Liberty expansion, then this is a very fun investment for you.

Alongside these, there are some other preorders that are worth keeping on your radar for the months ahead. Outside of music, there are some upcoming Blu-ray and 4K releases that are worth checking out. In particular, the Se7en 4K UHD and Blu-ray Ultimate Collector’s Edition and “What’s In The Box?” Special Edition are available to preorder, with a release date of May 3, and there are quite a few video games up for preorder at the moment, including the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and Persona 3 Reload, amongst many others.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Palworld’s Incredible Launch Continues, Sells Over 7 Million in Just 5 Days

Palworld’s explosive launch shows no sign of slowing down, with the ‘Pokémon with guns’ crafting and survival game selling another million copies in a day.

According to developer Pocketpair, Palworld has now sold over seven million copies in just five days.

“Thank you very much!!” a tweet from the developer read. “We continue to be hard at work addressing the issues and bugs some users are experiencing.

“Thanks for your support!”

The Game Awards boss Geoff Keighley tweeted to say he had confirmed with Pocketpair that the seven million sold figure is for Steam sales only, and so does not include Xbox and Windows PC sales. It’s worth noting Palworld launched day-and-date on Game Pass, too.

“That translates into approximately $189 million USD in Steam sales in 5 days,” Keighley added.

It’s an incredible result for Pocketpair, whose game has dominated the video game community since going on sale on January 19.

Yesterday, January 23, Palworld posted an incredible 1,864,421 peak concurrent players on Steam, a figure that saw it overtake Valve’s own Counter-Strike in Steam’s all-time most-played games list.

Palworld is second only to PUBG, whose remarkable Steam concurrents peak of 3,257,248 was set during the game’s glory days amid the battle royale boom, and is unlikely to be topped.

While Palworld is already one of the biggest game launches ever, it’s also one of the most controversial. Pocketpair has said its staff have received death threats amid Pokémon “rip-off” claims, and Nintendo has moved quickly to remove an eye-catching Pokémon mod. Palworld’s enormous launch has seen its servers struggle, too.

IGN’s early access review of Palworld on Steam returned an 8/10. We said: “Palworld may crib quite a bit from Pokémon’s homework, but deep survival mechanics and a hilarious attitude make it hard to put down – even in Early Access.”

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.